people. we are not showing this to you for the sake of it. who do you know who making a big difference in your community? you can nominate these heroes and they end up winning. >> making a huge difference in their communities. a good thing to see. we want to wish everybody a wonderful fourth of july weekend. hope you're safe, healthy, happy and you have a little bit of fun. >> you're off? >> i'm off watching the fireworks. >> christine and i will be here on monday. have a fantastic weekend. kyra phillips takes it over now with the "cnn newsroom." >> how about a lot of fun? come on! >> some people have to work so i felt bad! >> happy fourth of july, guys. we all will be celebrating. it's 9:00 a.m. on the east coast and 6:00 a.m. on the west coast. thank you for joining us. witnesses taking the stand in the casey anthony murder trial. the judge says the case could go to the jury this weekend. los alamos national lab closed fifth day as high winds make problems for fire crews. 94,000 acres have burned.

lab officials say toxic materials are saving. royal couple wakes up in canada this morning. prince william and catherine in ottawa. their first official trip since their april wedding. a bombshell announcement in the shocking criminal case. there may not have been a crime after all. sources say that prosecutors now have serious doubts about the hotel maid who accused dominique strauss-kahn of sexually assaulting her. the accusations cost him his leadership of the international monetary fund and likely his bid to become france's next president. susan candiotti has the latest. what are the specific issues regarding her credibility right now? >> reporter: what a huge development this is, kyra. good morning to you. i'm told by a source familiar with the case that there are at least four or five issues. one of them involves an asylum application she made coming from the united states from her native guinea. in it, she evidently says she

was sexually assaulted. i'm told by sources she was very believable but the facts weren't adding up and that turned out to be an outright lie in the words of the source familiar with the case. there are other matters including reportedly, according to "the new york times" a relationship she currently has with someone who is in jail here in the united states in new york on drug and money laundering charges. what is stunning is that these disclosures were made by prosecutors to the defense team of dominique strauss-kahn in a meeting yesterday, thursday. >> so what exactly is expected to happen today in court? >> well, armed with this information, prosecutors will be making an official court filing. at core, that certainly will be discussed, as well as an application to modify the circumstances surrounding dominique strauss-kahn's bail. remember, he is currently being held on $6 million bail or rather he has been allowed to live on his own under house

arrest, in effect, on that bail agreement. so they asked to modify that and he might ask for his passport back but i'm told that is unlikely but he might be able to travel within the united states. we will see. >> we are watching it. susan sandy on they, thanks so much. the nba lockout is nine hours old and nobody knows if it will take weeks, months, or even a missed season for the players and owners to work out a new deal. mark mccay, everybody knew this lockout was coming but still tough for fans to take. >> it is. and the wonder is out there. will an entire season be lost because of this nba lockout which went into effect just after midnight new york time? basically, it does come down to money in this whole deal. the owners, they want a hard salary cap. they want to keep a bigger share of the $4 billion in basketball-related income. players, meanwhile, oppose the hard cap and contend it's not a viable way to achieve competitive balance and nba say

it will lose $3 hundr00 million. what does this mean? during the lockout, no communication between the teams and the players. paychecks on hold. as will health care. if a player gets injured in training or in rehab or even playing on a neighborhood basketball court, it's on them to get their insurance coverage. trades and signings put on hold and negotiations toward a new collective bargaining deal can continue but no indication as to when either side will go back to the bargaining table. >> we were talking about this in the morning. we have the nfl issue. the nba issue. you've also got the dodgers.

it's one team owner and the alleged recklessness he had to use that team as personal atm during his divorce proceeding all through making headlines for wrong reasons but making big headlines nonetheless. >> we are following awe tlel' more on the nfl next week. mark, thanks. the numbers are out. not the poll numbers and not the dow industrial. we are talking about the big number of bucks your presidential candidates are raising to win the white house. jim acosta, who has got the biggest bank? >> reporter: sometimes he's are the numbers that count, kyra, this morning. it looks like at this point, the person who has got the biggest bank right now is mitt romney. we haven't gotten any official totals in right now. yesterday his campaign did confirm that he is expected to bring in between $15 million and $20 million in the first quarter of fund-raising this year. not as much as he raised for the 2008 campaign but, still, way

ahead of the rest of the pack. jon huntsman, we can mention, he also has a pretty big fund-raising hall for a guy that not a lot of people know about. $4 million. we should mention half of that, though, is money he kicked in himself. he is part of a very wealthy family that owns a chemical company out there in utah. so not too surprising there. one thing we can tell you this morning is that president obama's re-election campaign, they are very proud of the fact that they have a roughly $490,000 contributors who have donated so far to the president's campaign. that is a number that they are tweeting out and getting out today. that is way more than he had back in 2007. of course, not too surprising back then. he was sort of a long shot for the white house. speaking of presidential runs. we should mention that we are getting reports and we are expecting to see thad mccarter, a congressman from michigan. he is well known up in michigan

and well known in tea party circles. he is expected to file his paper work today to run for president. mccotter plays the guitar. so we might see him out on the campaign trail striking a few cords. if he decides to run, perhaps gets the nomination, he could bring a jon huntsman on his ticket. >> start a band! >> jon huntsman plays the keyboard. we would have a whole band to contend with out there on the campaign trail. might liven things up. who knows. >> then you have to worry about artists getting upset about certain songs at campaign rallies being used. tom petty might support this. jim, thanks. your next political update in an hour. always get all of the political news 24/7 at cnn/politics.com. a royal wedding whispers of intrigue and a nod to vintage hollywood. an intoxicating stew of juicy

tidbits if today's wedding of prince albert and our zain verjee has been following the scoop daily on this! i don't know. is it going to happen? is she a run-away bride? nobody knows what is going on and can get to the bottom of this. >> reporter: she has a couple of hours left only to decide whether she is going to bolt or not and leave him at the altar. the situation is this. i was going through the program here. will she or won't she go through it? right now, they are getting ready for a civil ceremony and then afterwards there is going to be a picnic. tomorrow, another ceremony that is going to be a religious ceremony and fireworks are going to happen after that. i'm not sure what kind of fireworks. they are hoping the regular kind of july fourth fireworks. and a lot of people are rooting for them. 3,500 guests there. giorgio armani is there and

nicolas sarkozy and richard branson is there, too. all of this celebration is being overshadowed by a report she tried to bolt and went to an airport in nece and tried to buy a one-way tricket to south africa because she was learning all of these alleged secrets that prince albert had kept and she just wanted to go. listen to what the couple had to say before all this drama. listen. >> not too nervous, not too emotional. i've got a lot of things to worry about in other areas before that day and so just trying to make sure everything goes well. >> charlie? you're calm, collected? yes, i'm fine. i haven't got any problems so far. everything seems to be going really well. i'm excited and can't wait. >> reported jim bitter man, our reporter, is speaking to the two

of them. will they be happily married? we will find out in the next couple of hours if things go smoothly. the palace denies any rift between the two of them and says the bride absolutely does not have cold feet. the price tag for this wedding, only a hundred million dollars. >> oh, my gosh! okay, zain. i cannot even imagine. we will be following the intrigue. coming up, what a welcome. big crowds come out in canada to see britain's new princess. oh, yeah and that other guy, too, traveling with her! we are live out of ottawa. a closer look at the possibly crumbling case against dominique strauss-kahn. just ahead, the extraordinary twist. [ male announcer ] this...is the network -- a network of possibilities. in here, the planned combination of at&t and t-mobile would deliver our next generation mobile broadband experience to 55 million more americans, many in small towns and rural communities, giving them a new choice. we'll deliver better service, with thousands of new cell sites...

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checking stories across the country. in minnesota the government calls it a date of great sorrow. stalled budget talks shut down minnesota state government. few state agencies left operating do so with just skeleton crews now. in georgia today, some of the state's top new antiimmigration laws go into effect. monday a federal judge put the kibosh on two of the more controversial parts of that law namely police checks on immigration status of anyone suspected of being in the country illegally. along the san francisco bay, more than 5,000 commuters have to find another way to work this morning. no golden gate ferry service because of a one day labor strike by the ticket takers. extraordinary new twist in the dominique strauss-kahn legal case. sources say prosecutors now have grave doubts about the hotel maid who accused him of sexual assault. the allegations cost the

frenchman his job as head of the imf. our next guest has worked in the legal system on both sides of the courtroom. holly hughes, criminal defense attorney and former prosecutor. so, basically, what has come to light is this woman who made the sexual assault allegations has a questionable background? >> that's exactly right, kyra. what we are finding out today and we are finding it out from the prosecutors. remember, a prosecutor has a duty to release not just favorable information, but stuff will harm their case as well called brady material. they have found out the victim alleging sexual assault by strauss-kahn has had ties to people who are locked up for drug trafficking charges and money laundering charges and very huge amounts of drug and money moving through these folks' hands. we also have found out, kyra, on her asylum application when she tried to get into the united states, she had made allegations of rape in the past that were not substantiated. this is a credibility question. this comes down to is her word

credible? the prosecutor has to reveal to the defense side, even though it's harmful to them, hey, guys, you need to know there are these issues. >> she has made allegations of rape in the past. is the idea here that possibly this could have been some sort of setup? >> well, it is a possibility. we have to remember that what we have here is the gold standard of evidence. we have dna. with y but -- >> but the unique thing about a sexual assault allegation, you have evidence in in any other case would be slam dunk. you find somebody's dna on a murder scene you would think a bad sign. with sexual assault, the accuser can still say consensual and then it's about the he said/she said. it comes down to credibility because the dna can very reasonably be explained and what we are looking at in this situation now. strauss-kahn supporters are saying what they have said all along.

this is setup and political sabotage and the prosecution has to rethink whether or not they are going forward. the talk is, kyra, they are considering dismissing the felony counts and possibly talking about a plea deal to some misdemeanors. >> wow. all right. we will follow it. that will change the whole dynamic. >> yes, it will. >> thank you. >> thank you. baseball players don't shave in the playoffs. hockey players smack the goalie at the start of the game. what about tennis players? we will take a look at the wimbledon superstitions. is the lure of a cold beer or crisp wine enough to get diners in the door? some fast food locations are hoping so. udel yeah but now i have nothing to eat sure you do. hey! you can have the pop tart! pillsbury toaster strudel. the one kids want to eat ♪ [ cat meows ] ♪

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let's get show he biz headlines for you. octomom roaring back into the headlines with a pretty jaw-dropping interview. according to "in touch" magazine, nadia souleiman say hr babies disgust her and these are the babies she went under treatments to have. actor tobey maguire denies any wrong doing with a high stakes poker ring. the guy who ran it is convicted of running a ponzi scheme and now a lawsuit to try to get some of the victims' money back. los angeles police recruiting celebrity volunteers are asking stars with lots of twitterer followers to spread the word part of a local freeway will be closed this month. william shatner has agreed to help and got a plug-in for his new project l.a. friends. 405 will close on july 16 and

17. stay at home preparing for the captains on 7/21. ashton kutcher stepped of, kind of, after warning of the twitter i would like a free pass on the spotlight ticket. it was yellow! >> wimbledon men's semifinals are today. our zain verjee has been digging into players' superstitions. what do you think? see the rabbit feet or the horseshoes out there on the court? >> reporter: i'm following the really important stuff today. this is a big one. okay? wimbledon men's semifinals. let's go to andy murray. he has been growing and growing and growing his beard and all of this chatter on sosh media this is a superstition he doesn't want to shave it because if he does, he might lose. andy murray says he is lazy and

why he is not doing it. rafael nadal and that is who he is playing. he has a weird thing where he lines up his water bottles exactly right, facing the court and the labels have to be facing absolutely perfectly. also he will not get on the court unless he avoids the white lines. he doesn't step on them because he thinks it would be bad luck. another semifinalist avoids using the same shower twice in a row. everyone saying, oh, he is just superstition. he is saying it's his thing, a routine fithing. finally, the other player is amazing player. i'm rooting for for him. his superstition is don't have any. it seems to be working for him. we don't know of any, but we will find out whose worked and who didn't by the end of the day. kyra, do you have any

superstitions? >> i don't. >> reporter: >> reporter: you don't? >> no. i have a lot of good luck charms. >> reporter: what? >> they usually involves little angels of some sort. what about you? any good luck charms? any superstitions? >> reporter: i do. i won't walk under a ladder. i think it's bad luck. i always knock on wood or on my head if i can't find wood. the only thing is i have to have things color coded, otherwise, i can't concentrate. you can see with my note, everything has to be black, blue and red. otherwise, i can't concentrate. my highlight is out in different colors. that is the only thing but that is more obsessive compulsive. >> i think we are more ocd than anything else. you always bring us luck, that's for sure. two american icons, fast food and cold beer. as we go into the fourth of july weekend, we ask you do they belong on the same menu? alison kosik at the "the new

york times" wi-- at the new yor stock exchange. >> you can't it to kick back and have a beer and a burger and not the option at fast food places but now the way to lure you you in is what better way than to have zoo? would will sell beer and wine at their stores and three draft beers, 25 bottled ones and ten different wines. the thing here it's not served to people who eat in their cars, though. burger king already offers alcohol at specialty whopper bar locations. chipolte sells beer and so does starbucks in four of its shop. starbucks is double fisted. a little coffee, a little beer, you're set to go for the morning. >> bad economy is the justification for drinking booze? >> reporter: yeah. it could be part of it. sometimes it's hard for these fast food places to compete with applebee's and friday's where you can have an affordable meal

and a drink with it. some experts say offering beer and wine could boost slow evening business. all this doesn't come without its critics. some worried about people having this quick meal and a drink and then getting behind a wheel. others worry it sends the wrong message to kids. another concern here the combination of fast food and beer could also add to the obesity epidemic. always a critic for everything. >> yes, there is. alison, thanks. coming up, prince william and princess kate spending first full day in canada. see how they are being received. twist in the case of amanda knox, american college student convicted of murder in italy. my contacts are so annoying. they're itchy, dry and uncomfortable. i can't wait to take 'em out, throw 'em away and never see them again. [ male announcer ] know the feeling? get the contacts you've got to see to believe. acuvue® oasys brand contact lenses with hydraclear® plus technology, keeping your eyes exceptionally comfortable all day long. it feels like it disappeared on my eye.

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checking top stories. sexual assault case against dominique strauss-kahn could be in jeopardy. a source familiar with the case tells cnn that prosecutors have found major credibility problems with the hotel maid who accuses him of assault. a judge declares an indefinite recess in the casey anthony murder trial. yesterday the defense rested its case without anthony testifying. the prosecution was expected to call rebuttal witnesses today. the nba still in limbo. owners begin a lockout until the collective bargaining agreement can be hammered out with the players union. forget a royal reception. prince william and duchess kate getting a rock star reception from canadians. they are in ottawa today and our max foster is there. max, what will they be up to? >> reporter: get ready for the

big one. there are thousands and thousands of people showing up here in ottawa for canada day celebrations. of course, the guest of honor this year, are the duke and duchess and people are genuinely excited! you can see some of the crowd gathered behind me. a changing of the guard ceremony so lots of pomp and pageantry. you will see them affect here at opened-top carriage and relive the royal wedding and the crowd definitely excited about this one. >> reporter: where are you from? >> outside of toronto. >> reporter: on full display coming here? the ring. the ring. you are catherine fans? >> we are, yes. >> reporter: you -- i came over here because you have the ultimate, i think, slogan. which is just creative. will and kate, you're worth the wait. >> we have been waiting since 11:00 last night so thelve are worth the wait. no sleep, but we're good and hanging in there. >> reporter: catherine fan? >> huge. she is gorgeous.

just beautiful. >> reporter: excited? >> very. >> reporter: excited? >> woo! >> the duke and duchess of cambrid cambridge. >> reporter: that is nothing there. completely jam-packed now. they have it all set up for later on today. >> what are they announcing behind you? i heard their name. what is going on? >> reporter: welcome you to canada's capital region. a huge stage to my side and show you that later on. a big canada day celebration and lots of cultural performances and what today is really about. their first engagement is citizenship ceremony where 25 international people are going to become citizens and interesting to see their reaction there because the canadians have to pledge allegiance. a poignant moment for william and today would have been diana's 50th birthday so,

certainly, a lot of coverage parallel to catherine and diana yet again. >> wow. >> reporter: you know, there are some similarities if you look at the way she works the crowd. she has that gift. >> absolutely. a lot of people have compared the two. max, talk to you again soon. this morning, a source tells cnn from treasury secretary timothy geithner is considering leaving his post. geithner says he will remain at his job, quote, for the foreseeable future. sources tells us he could leave after the bill is passed to raise the debt ceiling. both democrats and republicans digging in hair heels as the august 2nd deadline approaches. kate bolduan up on the hill. where do things stand now? >> reporter: there still is a very big divide between democrats and republicans in terms of policy, as well as the

politics of this negotiation to raise the federal debt ceiling and right now, it's centering largely on the issue of taxes. democrats continue to insist that any package have to include new revenue and they are proposing, they propose somewhere in the area of more than $400 billion of new revenue. to do that, that would include closing some corporate loopholes which they absolutely railed against on the senate floor yesterday and limiting some deduction pps on the flip side, republicans say there is a reality that everyone needs to face here that anything that amounts to a tax increase cannot pass the house. the republican-controlled house. they say that is absolutely a no-go. as you said, it seems both sides are digging in their heels at this point. at the same time, democrat officials have told cnn they are kind of pushing to accelerate this deadline at this point, pushing for a deal by july 22nd to allow for time to legislation to actually be written and agreed to by both chambers to meet the august 2nd deadline. the big point at this very moment, kyra, they are still are

no bipartisan meetings on the schedule in terms of the real negotiators here, the leaders, both parties and both the house and the senate and the white house, despite the fact the senate canceled july fourth break and plan to be in town next week. and house also in town. leaves you to wonder if it's not about everybody being in town, what they are going to do while they are here. >> you maid the point they are canceled their break but doesn't mean the senators will be working on fourth of july, right? >> absolutely right. it's a federal holiday. the federal government is closed there. the house and senate are not working and everyone will be away in their home districts on the day of the 4th. senate scheduled to come back and work on tuesday and house scheduled to come back on wednesday. but, again, there is no major legislation planned to be really debated and we will see what meetings will enter the schedule in the coming days. we will see what happens. >> kate, thanks. once again, the treasury secretary says if the debt ceiling isn't raised by august 2nd, then the u.s. won't have enough money to pay its bills.

one on woun interview with wolf blitzer, former president clinton talked about whether this is a hard deadline and why it's such a big deal. >> well, i think i know it's a hard deadline in the sense that just letting it happen will have, at the very least, a short term adverse effect on our standing in the world, on our credit, on people thinking we're a grown-up country who know what we are doing. now, how bad the long-term damage is will be determined by how quickly we remedy it, but it's -- since it's never happened before, it's impossible to be absolutely specific, but it's nutty. what you're really saying when you don't raise the debt limit is not you want to balance the budget in the future. it is, i'm sorry, i'm so mad, i can't get my way, i'm not going to pay our past debts and a grown-up country can't do that. we can't afford to do that. >> he went on to say he believes congress will reach some kind of

short-term deal. coming up on july fourth weekend expect a year a lot of people singing the national anthem but don't expect our next guest to be one of them. a pastor explains his objection to the star-spangled banner. losing your chex mix too easily? time to deploy the chex mix boring potato chip decoy bag. now no one will want to steal the deliciousness. with a variety of tastes and textures, only chex mix is a bag of interesting. can your moisturizer do that? [ female announcer ] dermatologist recommended

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for cnn.com why i don't sing the star-spangled banner and joins us from charlotteville, west virginia. you say you love your country and point that out yet you won't sing the star-spangled banner, a very patriotic song. let me ask you, can you be a patriot and also be a mennonite? >> i i guess i would ask what your definition of being a patriot would be. i think it's possible to love your country and to be a mennonite, but what i am trying to communicate not what it means to be a mennonite but what is means to be an attrition. part of my objection to participating in the national anthem is it is a song that is a

war anthem essentially and the ritual of placing your hand over your heart and -- i, as someone who believes passionately that following jesus means witnessing for peace, i have objection to participating in that, although i totally understand why people would. >> let me ask you this. you write. i'm going to quote here from your article. that's because we recognize only one christian nation, the church, the holy nation that is bound together by a living faith in jesus rather than by man-made, blood-soaked borders. let me ask you this. how do you reconcile that with our history and the system of government that you live under every single day that allows you the freedom to even say the things that you're telling me right now? >> well, i would ask you where do you believe that your freedom comes from? you know, there are a number of people, as i was reading through, there are a number of

comments, over 4,000 comments, writing that they thought that i only recognized one nation and i was very careful in my language that i only recognize one christian nation. and that is the church. i don't expect the united states government to do the mission or be the part of the ministry of the church. i want the church to be the church. and the government to be the government. and i would also say that my freedom does not come from the blood of my enemies. i believe that my freedom comes from the blood that was shed by jesus on the cross so i would have a different understanding of what freedom is. >> final question. let me ask you, because you go on to write that you, quote, pledge your allegiance to jesus alone. let me read you a couple of lines from the star-spangled banner. blessed with victory and peace, may the heaven rescued land praise the power that has made

and preserved us a nation, then conquer we must, when our cause, it is just, and this be our motto in god is our trust. now, pastor, that song actually recognizes your creator. >> well, i think you can recognize your creator. i mean, there's a -- i would have the same objection to the under god language in the pledge of allegiance. i have more an objection to saying the pledge itself than trying to redeem it by putting god language in it. and so i think that the way of jesus requires us to carry the cross, jesus asked his disciples to carry their cross daily and i don't think it is consistent with the language of jesus, the teachings of jesus to carry a cross in one hand and a gun in the other. and so that's where my objections lie.

i have received many e-mails, one of the e-mails said agreed with a lot of the things that i was saying but that she sings the anthem remembering the service of her grandfather in world war ii and i'm very sympathetic to that. i -- i -- i'm not advocating that we stop playing the national anthem. i'm merely describing on why i choose not to participate. >> well, like you said you've received a lot of e-mails and a lot of hits on cnn.com, for sure. pastor, thanks so much. you can read mark's entire piece at cnn.com/opinion. if you like, join the conversation and leave a comment for him. there are already, i'm told, more than 4,000 comments that people have posted. coming up, we're going to tell you how prosecuting boston mobster james bulger is going to cost taxpayers. also ahead, quickly becoming one of the biggest fourth of july holiday traditions and some may say one of the grossest holiday traditions.

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checking stories across the country. after 16 years on the run, boston mobster james "whitey" bulger back home. in court on thursday he got a public defender but lost his petition to have two pending racketeering cases against him combined. police in new orleans suburbs say they arrested a man who robbed a local convenience

store with his 5-year-old son. besides one count of simple robbery, michael perry faces additional charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor. in california, butte college new claim to fame with array of 25,000 solar panels, the school is the first college in the u.s. history to generate all of its electricity from renewable energy. in yuma, arizona, ceremonial groundbreaking for a new federal courthouse named in honor of judge "american morning" rolle. he died in the january 8th shooting that nearly killed congresswoman gabby giffords. okay. as you savor your july fourth holiday barbecue and casually glance at those hot dogs on the grill, you may ask yourself, could i eat 70 of those under ten minutes? if the answer is yes, then make next year, you could win nathan's annual hot dog eating contest! poor senior correspondent allan chernoff has been given the

assignment! the investigative break is piece of news of the day! >> it's going to be fantastic! i already have my all-access press pass for major league eating right here, going it happen at coney island on july fourth. this year, lots of excitement. number one, the women are going to finally, finally have a quality. for the first time, there will be a women's division and a men's division. two separate competitions. this sets the stage for sonya thomas to finally gain a mustard yellow belt! she holds the world's record for mem. 41 hot dogs in only ten minutes. america hero joey chestnut who holds the record of 68 hot dogs in ten minutes, wow. he is saying he is going to hit 70 dogs this year. let's see if he can do it. lots of excitement. his old rival, kobayashi, he is going to be eating alone at a manhattan bar challenging all

the other competitors. he was banned last year from the competition due to a contractual dispute. he was arrested when he tried to jump on to the stage. this year, he'll be in manhattan just trying to show he still got it. >> gosh. this is new. you mentioned there are now chinese competitors that have entered this year? >> reporter: indeed, there are. this is the great challenge to the american eaters. indeed, in just a couple of hours, they will be appearing at the weigh-in here in manhattan. lots of excitement. they are threatening to take the mustard yellow belt over to beijing! >> they represent a potential threat to our possession of the mustard belt. so china is expanding and rising as a political and global power. economic and otherwise. if they take the belt, it's going to hit us right where we breathe. it's going to -- they are going to be eating our lunch

literally. >> reporter: kyra, let's just hold our hands in prayer that joey chestnut can come through with a good old us of a. our prestige is at issue. >> thank you very much, allan. we will stay tuned. george carlin had seven words you can't say on television. now mar now mark halperin is starting his own list. jennee moos coming up with some words that got him in big trouble. never goes unnoticed. liberty mutual insurance. responsibility. what's your policy?

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appear in a u.s. district courtroom. president obama heads to camp david for the 4th of july weekend. let's check in with susan candiotti. >> reporter: i'm here in new york. of course there are stunning developments that are happening involving this case that could possibly wind up sending the felony charges against him down the drain. i'll have a live report coming up on that in the next hour. i'm david mattingly in orlando. the casey anthony murder trial

is supposed to be wrapping up today, but it's on hold. i'll explain why coming up. i'm mark mckay, the nba has joined the nfl in locking out its players. are two seasons now in jeopardy? we'll talk about it at the top of the hour. next hour, britain's royal newlyweds on hand to help celebrate canada. we'll take you live to ottawa.

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tennis superstar maria sharapova, one win away from a wimbledon title. you might want to have ear plugs if you want to watch. >> the loudest player you will hear on tour. her grunts measure at 105 decibels. that's enough to cause hearing loss. here she was yesterday in the semis. there it is. every time. she's on a roll, she beat sabine lisicki yesterday. sharapova going for her first grand slam title since 2008. you can watch without a mute button. you can download wimbledon next mix. you can control how loud the announcers are, the crowd, the ball and the grunts. wrigley field, emanuel burress, look at the diving stop. later in the game, castro up

again. it happens again, the exact same play. his teammates would get the last laugh. the game winning home run, the bottom of the 13th, the cubs win. golf, erik compton is con of the great stories. the 11th at the at&t national, the first round, right in the cup. >> that's what keeps you coming back. >> forget all the bad ones. he finished six over on the day. on day one of the nba lockout, shane batia is hoping he can sweet talk them to ending it. dear nba, the lockout hasn't even started and i already miss your loving touch. come back, baby. can we have cocktails and work this out? let's make this work for the kids. they're going to blame themselves for our problems. dear nba, i hate public

break-ups. i'm sorry, call me, it's never too late. hugs and kisses. >> that's great. maybe he ought to get involved in other negotiations involved in our political world right now. >> it might just work. >> thanks, jeff. >> certain four-letter words that you can definitely get away with, but not when you direct them at the president of the united states. that's what one political analyst discovered when he put his foot in his mouth and the "d" word came out of it. jeanne moos reports. >> reporter: there hasn't been a guy you call dick in the oval office since richard nixon. the "d" word raises its ugly head. >> i want to characterize how the president behaved. >> go for it. >> i thought he was kind of a [ bleep ] yesterday.

>> delay that. what are you doing? i can't believe you. i was joking. don't do that. did we delay that? >> reporter: nope, no delay. there wasn't much of a delay in the apology either. after all, mark halperin, big time political writer and analyst. >> it's a big time apology, to the viewers and president. >> reporter: msnbc suspended halperin indefinitely. we apology to the president, the white house and the viewers. the spokesman said he called the network. >> it would be inappropriate to say that. >> reporter: the "d" word seemed to be past a larger inside joke about the show's delay button. the delay was set up almost three years ago after the host himself swore without realizing it. >> screaming [ bleep ] you. >> reporter: after that, two

delay buttons were established. one for live remotes and one for the studio. before the show, they were joking about testing the buttons and there was a new executive producer manning the show. >> you think the one button here. apparently there's another button over here. >> you're supposed to know the job before you get the job. >> reporter: if you really want to see a guy having trouble with but.s, cheg out this access host trying to cut off an obscene prank caller. >> okay. tell you what. >> reporter: remember the good old days when jon stewart was celebrated for using the "d" word. >> here is the [ bleep ] on your show. >> reporter: it turns out mark halperin apologized a few years ago when he thinks edwards is timid. the web side gawker reports that

halperin called obama both types of genitalia. as you look for the "d" spot, disconnect. jeanne moos, cnn, new york. yikes. it's 10:00 a.m. on the east coast. this morning, the casey anthony murder trial goes on indefinite recess as the defense questions state witnesses. the judge says the case could go to the jury this weekend. the lowe's almost national lab closed for the fifth day in a row. 94,000 acres have burned. so far, toxic materials are safe. the royal couple awaken in canada this morning. prince william and duchess kate are in ottawa. we begin with a bombshell announcement in a shocking criminal case that may not have been a crime after all. sources say that prosecutors now have serious doubts about the hotel maid who accused dominique

strauss-kahn of sexually assaulting her. the accusations caused him his leadership of the international monetary fund and likely his bid to become france's next president. susan, what are the specific issues regarding her credibility right now? >> reporter: we know that there are about four or five of them, according to a source familiar with the case. one of them involves a political asylum application that she made from her native guinea when she came to the united states in which she claimed she had been sexually assaulted. sources say they are calling that an outright lie and that has been admitted now. it is one of several credibility issues they are having. when they go into court this day, the defense and prosecutors will likely agree on modifying his bail conditions. and this is a stunning development because it was information about these credibility issues that came from prosecutors made to defense attorneys that prompted a

meeting between both sides yesterday on thursday. >> just to remind everyone, he hasn't been in a jail cell all this time. he's basically been living in a lap of luxury. >> reporter: he has. he's been living in quite a posh town home in lower manhattan in the meat packing district called tribeca. he's been forced to pay for his own security which amounts to up to maybe a quarter of a million dollars. that includes 24 hour surveillance. he had to wear an ankle bracelet. his attorneys will probably be asking the court to allow him to travel within the united states. he's not likely to get his passport, so it is possible he may even be released on his own recognizance. that's one of the issues likely to be discussed in court this day. >> we'll follow it. the nfl is not the only league in a lockout right now. nba owners have locked out players after the two sides failed to reach a new deal.

sure, it's the offseason, but owners, fans and players are worried that the dispute could jeopardize next season. mark mckay joining us now. >> you talk about the offseason. what a wonderful end to the season, the mavericks and the heat. it clouds this all over, because the issues basically come down to revenue and how do you split the revenue between the owners and players. the owners want a complete change of the entire system. they want a hard salary cap as opposed to the soft one. they would like to roll back existing contracts. the players don't want to have any hard cap on their salaries. they want to continue to earn their money. they oppose any kind of cap. they question the nba's assertion that they are losing $300 million. it's something when the nba commissioner comes out, david stern and says it concerns him because there's such a huge philosophical divide between the owners and players at this point. >> has there ever been a pro

sports season lost to a lockout. >> 2004-2005, the national hockey league completely lost its season. not only did that league go away, but many say the nhl came back stronger than before. there's a lot of nba team owners that have ties to the nhl thinking perhaps this could work in their favor as well. perhaps if a season goes away, we reassess things and come back stronger. the nhl is stronger. the ratings bonanzbonanza. >> everybody duking it out on the ice. if there's no nba next year. college basketball may benefit from? >> college basketball certainly. we see huge numbers when it comes to the college game. of course the national football league would like to think that it could benefit as well. they have to also work out their labor issues in order to get a season on the field this fall.

perhaps college basketball could benefit from the pros what they're fighting about. >> thanks. second pro league lockout, fan outrage is getting ready to boil over. we're going to talk about that story with sports analyst larry smith later. the casey anthony murder trial is winding down. the prosecution was expected to call rebuttal witnesses but the judge recessed the trial indefinitely. what's going on, david? >> kira, the defense rested and the prosecution just had a couple of witnesses to call for rebuttal. we expected that to wrap up pretty quick today, but everything is sort of on hold at the moment. when the judge declared a recess, the defense wants to depose one of the witnesses that the prosecution is bringing up. when he did that, he warned the defense and everyone else involved with this case, we've been at this a long time, you've got a jury essentially on hold

with their lives right now. they've been sequestered and they're ready to get back on with their lives. let's get things going here. listen to what he said. >> they are real problems and there are imaginary problems. i hope this is a real problem. and not an imaginary problem. >> reporter: if they are able to wrap things up today with this rebuttal that the prosecution's trying to put on, they will continue. they will have their closing arguments all in one day tomorrow, and then the jury will begin its deliberations in this long and very detailed and very painful case for the casey family. we saw all members of the family on the stand yesterday. we did not see, however, casey

anthony who declined not to testify in her own defense. >> of course there's been so much drama and moments in this trial, david. what is this about the man who actually flipped his finger at the prosecutor? >> reporter: well, that was a spectator. he had one of the highly coveted seats that the public lines up for every day. he's, we're told, a waiter at a local restaurant here. he made that obscene gesture as one of the prosecutors. was caught on camera when he did it. the judge called him up and said what were you doing? the guy didn't really have an explanation except to say it was just stupid. now he's going to have a lot of time to think about it. the judge sent him to six days, six days in jail and $623 in fine and court costs. that was one very costly finger. >> hope he's been saving his tips. thanks, david.

the royal newlyweds are spending their first full day in canada. and it's a biggy. they're taking part in the country's national day celebrations. for more on william and kate's visit and how they're being received. sane vergegy in london. >> happy canada to you too, kira. they are having a great time, you know, everybody loves them. there's a lot of love for the royal couple here. there's more love for kate than william. everyone is chanting kate, kate, kate. he's hanging back, being a bit low key, but enjoying she's also getting the spotlight. let's look at some of the headlines. the guardian has this one. if it's friday, it must be ottawa. royals fly in for 11 days of mounties and movie stars. it's almost as if the second

largest nation that something cannot match. take a look at the headline of the "ottawa citizen." the royals' second home. the official theme is moving forward together in the future, it says. that's important, the story of the royal family in canada is an ongoing one, inseparable from the country itself. many people are saying this is like the royal wedding all over again, how everyone is totally fixated on them. one thing many people are pointing out too, they are not stiffly waving their hands like this. they are actually very touchy-feely. they are engaging with people in a very warm and very affecti affectionate way. >> did you see the gals with a copy of princess di's ring on their hands?

>> yes. >> these guys are getting into this visit? >> there is an anti-monarchy faction in canada. all the excitement is drowning them out too. they are the real deal and people love seeing that. they're going to have a good time. they're going to be traveling across canada and they're going to stick in one day of a romantic getaway somewhere in the rocky mountains. >> they are also going to be attending a canadian citizenship ceremony in about 20 minutes for that. zain is going to be watching that. we'll take it live. thanks, zain. former president bill clinton weighing in on the 2012 presidential election in a one-on-one interview with our wolf blitzer. >> who's the strongest republican candidate out there. >> find out his answer just ahead. there's a new man in charge

at the pentagon. we're going to see what challenges lie ahead as leon panetta challenges military and budget issues. what's this option? that's new.

personal pricing now on brakes. tell us what you want to pay. we do our best to make that work. deal! my money. my choice. my meineke. checking stories across the country. in minnesota, governor mark dayton calls it a day of great sorrow. stalled budget talks shut down minnesota's state budget. few agencies left do so with skeleton crews. monday a federal judge put the kibosh on two of the controversial parts of the law, namely police checks on immigration status of anyone

suspected of being in the country illegally. along the san francisco bay, more than 5,000 commuters have to find another way to work this morning. there's no golden gate ferry service because of a labor strike by ticket takers. there's a changing of the guard at the pentagon. leon panetta sworn in as defense secretary this morning. he has a daunting task before him. let's talk with barbara starr. let's lay out the major tasks right now ahead for panetta. >> reporter: as he came up the stairs, sworn in as the 23rd secretary of defense, facing a host of issues around the world, of course. but, you know, a lot of what he may be doing here behind the scenes, after the handshakes and the smiles all around will be very reminiscent of his issues at the cia where he just left. secret wars really unfolding in places like somalia and yemen where al qaeda is on the rise

and the cia where general david petraeus will be taking over. and the pentagon, both agencies in a strong partnership to conduct raids, air strikes and covert operations in both of those countries. think of it all as the war on terror 2.0. that's what panetta will be dealing with. >> he's going to be faced with getting troops out of two wars and of course a budget, a number of slashes to the department. >> reporter: a lot on his plate. you're absolutely right, of course. he's going to have to come up with a plan to cut $400 billion in defense spending over the next several years. as you say, get those troops out of both afghanistan and iraq and just consider this and iraq, the month of june that has just passed was the most deadly troops in iraq in the last two years. even as that war supposedly winding down, still very deadly and lethal for u.s. troops, as

is afghanistan, far from over. >> barbara starr at the pentagon. bill clinton weighing in on the presidential campaign in a one-on-one interview with wolf blitzer. he asked clinton if he fr talks to president obama about re-elected. >> not a lot. he's got plenty to do. he's had to deal -- he's got the afghanistan problem, libya problem, a whole range of other issues. if they want me to do something, i talk. >> you wait for a phone call. >> absolutely. i don't think i should. he knows i support in general what he's trying to do. i'm out here trying to explain it to people, but he's got a good team. you know, i talk to gene sperling from time to time. >> he worked for you? >> he did. he's a good man. i talked to joe biden last week about some of these economic issues, but i think it's

important, you know, not to get the politics confused with action. because i believe if people understand the choices, then the only way he will lose is if a republican who is nominated who has a more credible plan that has a more rapid, broadly based republican. >> whos the strongest candidate out there? >> i'm not sure yet. >> who do you think will win? >> i'm not surprised if the president will win. a democrat who i've always thought myself is pro growth, pro business, pro labor democrat. i like governor huntsman, i like governor romney. i think governor romney is doing a better job this time than last time. he seems to be willing to take some of the heat you get if you stand up to people in your own party that you think are, in his case, too far to the right.

i don't know who's going to win. i think -- i'm not surprised that congresswoman bachmann is off to a good start, because i think she's a compelling public figure. i don't agree with her on a lot of things, but i think she comes across as real. they've got other candidates that are quite good. i don't think we can tell yet. we have to let it play out. >> clinton also talked about his health, he says he feels great. the popular characters from "sex and the city" may go way back in time. the author reveals who she wants to play her characters in a prequel. the extraordinary twist in the case of dominique strauss-kahn. tells her that hi

attorneys will ask that dominique strauss-kahn be released on his own recognizance and it's hoped prosecutors won't object. our next guest, howho wil how w >> absolutely. that's what we're looking at. sooner rather than later. as you just reported as susan gave you the 411, they are going in, his attorneys are going in and saying hey, you know what? this isn't going to be a felony

anymore. this enormous amount of bond he was forced to post, it's not applicable. this is going to be reduced to a misdemeanor at best. this guy is so high profile, he's not going to run. let him sign his own bond, let him get his money released that was on hold. we're not going to ask for his passport. he's not going to run. he'll stay within the united states. eventually what they're looking at is dismissing the charges altogether. when it comes to a credibility issue and you got this woman that law enforcement has released statements that says she has lied repeatedly in the past. >> and she's got connections to some shady characters in jail. what have we found out about her that basically makes the case stronger for him? >> one of the big things is the day after this alleged assault happened, she was on the telephone talking to an inmate who is currently facing charges of having 400 pounds of

marijuana, you know how light marijuana is, can you imagine? that's more than a dump truckload and $100,000 cash received. this person is looking at charges of drug trafficking and money laundserring. they have found out this woman was paying hundreds of dollars in phone charges to five different companies. as an ex-prosecutor, i know if somebody has five phones or five pagers back in the day, that usually is not a good sign. it usually means some type of illegal activity if you're running around with five cell phones. they have problems with her credibility. i think strauss-kahn is probably going to get his bond reduction. i think eventually we'll see the charges dropped because of the credibility issues with this alleged victim. >> new york times breaking a lot of these details. we're finding out more and more. bottom line, also apparently, this hotel maid has made accusations of sexual assault in

the past. do we know if that ever went anywhere? >> we have not been able to find out the end result of those, but we do know that when she applied for asylum in this country, she had reported that one of the reasons she needed to flee her own country is she had been a victim of rape, but we have not been able to find out what happened to those charges, where they went or even if anyone was able to substantiate them. do we know, did it ever even happen? >> holley hughes, thanks. >> talks of a "sex and the city" prequel and the supermodel's love child connection. kareen wynter is here with these headlines. they are turning back the clock on the popular hbo series? >> actually they are. we're actually getting a glimpse of carrie bradshaw and the girls in the younger years. she's promoting a prequel to her

"sex and the city" book series. it's called "summer in the city." the young, beautiful, glamorous selena gomez will fit right into this story as a young charlotte. the woman behind the "sex and 9 city" stories, she didn't have any involvement in the story. gomez is all over the place, very busy. she's got a new movie out called "monte carlo." i could see gomez doing anything she wants to. she's really such an impressive woman. singing, acting, doing just about everything. we'll have to see if she makes it on to this project, if it happens. the next story, the supermodel and the hollywood star. what's this all about? >> so many people are buzzing about this story. the new york post is reporting

that evangelista's son, he's actually the half brother of salma hayek's little girl, francois is the father of her son. they have a 4-year-old daughter together. the french playboy married hayek in 2009. he reportedly got together with evangelista when they had time apart. evangelista denied him as a father is trying to work out a settlement with her ex. this may be getting a little sticky here. >> thanks. coming up live from ottawa, a peek at prince william and duchess kate to see how they're celebrating canada day. sarah palin sits on the sidelines as michele bachmann's campaign rolls along. we ask has michele bachmann

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you can rest assured we help your engine run more smoothly while leaving behind cleaner emissions. it's how we make gasoline work harder for you. exxon and mobil. checking top stories. the sexual assault case against former imf chief dominique strauss-kahn could be in jeopardy. a source familiar with the case says prosecutors have found credibility problems with the hotel maid who accuses strauss-kahn of assault. the judge declares an indefinite recess in the casey anthony trial. the prosecution was expected to call rebuttal witnesses today. the nba still in limbo. owners began a lockout until a collective bargaining agreement can be hammered out with the

players union. the nfl lockout goes on as well. the nba lockout, as we said, it was discussed last night, still there, and dodger paychecks bounce. what about the fans? are they being forgotten? sports in 15 minutes. your rapid fire look at the hottest political topics of the day. robert zimmerman, talk show host pete dominick and dana loesch. first question, we're going to borrow our first ones at our friends. has michele bachmann replaced palin in the tea party's heart? what do you think? robert? >> well, kira, fortunately, the tea party has a very big heart. there's plenty of room for sarah palin, michele bachmann, newt gingrich and many others. that's like valentine's day

every day. >> i think there's absolutely enough room for both women. i still don't think palin is going to be running for president. i think she's looking to be more of a king maker. i think the tea party loves anyone who loves limited government. >> pete? >> kira, i disagree with robert. i don't think they have a big heart. based on the budgets that they support, i'm not sure they have a heart. but polls show that both bachmann and palin would be drawing from the exact same pool of voters. i think they would split that. i disagree with dana too. we know palin is not running. we can stop talking her. >> he's making a prediction there. maybe we should make a bet on that. >> treasury secretary tim geithner is going to leave later this year. the competeeconomy still in big trouble. who should the president be listening to? >> history, maybe the ghost of

ronald reagan. the president would like to see the economic recovery in the '20s, during kennedy's reign. if you look at the four pillars of reganomics, less of a tax burden and less spending, if you have that, you're going to have a good economy, he's not doing any of those things. >> robert? >> let's remember, ronald reagan raised taxes 11 times during his presidency to keep the government functioning. fortunately through president's chief of staff, we have more business leaders on the front lines dealing with currency fluctuation and job retraining and economic growth working with this white house to turn our economy around. >> pete? >> president obama completely lost my support as a voter on the economic issues when he literally appointed the people who created the economic disaster, kira.

tim geithner, larry summers. you know who is going to choose the next treasury secretary? that's wall street. >> all right. you're a buzzer beater. this is a talker, this new harvard study came out, if you attend a 4th of july party before your 18th party, you're more likely to vote republican. what do you guys think? can you explain that? robert? >> if that survey was done at restricted country clubs with 14-year-olds drinking martinis, maybe that checks out. young people separate patriotism from partisanship. >> i went to almost every 4th of july parade when i was younger, i voted democrat in my early 20s before i became an independent conservative. i think it's bunk. >> pete? >> let's see, kira, people exposed at an early age to

lawns, beer and irresponsible grown men playing with explosives, it's such a mystery the way they vote republican. >> pete, you know 4th of july, it's not about the cheap beer, it's about the good beer. >> i would love to come to your party, kira, thanks for the invite. >> you are invited. >> this study is if they attend parades, not parties. i had to read up on it. >> leave it to pete to correct the harvard study. >> i went to yale. >> i was waiting for him to plug that. today is canada's birthday. they're throwing one of their biggest celebrations ever. they've got vip guests after all. prince william and kate. heck, they are on hand in ottawa to help celebrate their fuirst day of their canadian trip.

talk about big crowds and a lot of fans. >> big, big crowds gathering here. the sunshine has come out. whenever catherine and william come outside, it's sunny, when they go inside, it rains. successful trip so far. we had all the pomp and pageantry. they will turn up here in an open top carriage and have a look at a big show on stage. we'll be bringing you that later on. their first stop was due to have started but it's been delayed. they're going to the canadian museum where they're going to see 25 people become canadian and swear allegiance to the sovereign which one day will be william. it will be interesting to see how he handles that situation. it's a reality that one day he will be king. they are working their way

through how they're going to reign at the moment. it seems quite touchy-feely. >> we're going to take that live, max, as soon as it happens, once that ceremony begins. max foster there in canada. coming up, it's quickly becoming the biggest 4th of july holiday tradition, and the grossest. this weekend, nathan's annual holiday eating contest. national pride is on the line. we'll explain. defense attorney

they arrested a man who robbed a convenience store with his 5-year-old son in tow. in california, butte college has a new claim to fame. it's the first college in the u.s. to generate all of its electricity from renewable energy. listen up, folks, america's pride may be on the line. we like our trophies.

the world series. now there's a chance we could lose face this weekend. of course i'm talking about nathan's annual hot dog eating contest. allan chernoff who attends the famous ceremony every year has plenty of dogs. he's going to talk to us what the big buzz is this time around. >> reporter: the excitement is building this very morning. in less than an hour, the weigh-in will begin in city hall here in new york. we're going to have sonia thomas, the top eater for women staring down against joey chestnut, the world champion, 68 hot dogs and buns in only 10 minutes. you mentioned that world domination issue. we're having the chinese come in. there are three chinese competitors. they've just arrived in new york. they'll be at the weigh-in. a little bit of anxiety here as to whether or not the chinese

may challenge the world champion joey chestnut. chestnut is hoping to be able to break his world record of 68. he says if it's a good day, if the dogs are cooked correctly, he might be able to eat 70 or even more. what about his old rival? kobayashi of japan. he was banned last year. he's now going to be eating on his own at a bar in manhattan challenging them from afar, from across the river. >> we had the little video mix up there. now we see him being dragged away in the cuffs. that was serious stuff, he charged the stage, created a lot of drama. this is serious business, right? >> indeed, it is. it's actually marketing genius. we'll have the story for you on sunday and monday morning talking about what this has done for nathan's famous, the sponsor. believe it or not, that hot dog

sales have nearly doubled over the last seven years. it's mainly because of this incredible contest that not only takes place here in coney island but it actually occurs. there's a qualifying round across the country, so the excitement builds up in local markets all over. the big one though, july 4th, coney island, we'll be there. watch it. >> i got to admit, the first time i went, i went to nathan's and had the dog. >> knnot too many. >> not 70. tough time in pro sports. try telling that to the fans. two leagues in lockout and a baseball owner, he can't pay his bills. we're going to talk the state of sports next. ♪

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well, if you're an nba fan, try going online to check your team's profile. the league is locking out the players and redirecting your searches to another page. we're not just calling out the owners here. you know, when money's involved, there's always two sides to the argument and who is caught between, is the players and the open owners of course is the fans. we haven't heard a lot from the fans. steven smith said they're going to have to get over it. i'm thinking okay.

what about you? what do you think? >> they will. they'll get over it. this is not the first time we had a lockout or work stoppage. the biggest fear for the nba and nfl is when you miss games. for the nba, this is day one. there's a wide chasm between the two sides between the issues. it's been proven before. they lost games in '98-'99. they'll bounce back. >> do you expect fan retaliation when the fans return? can they boycott the games? >> i think for the nba, it's unique, because you have so many other ways you can spend your sports entertainment dollar. you have college basketball, nhl, a lot of things going on. the nfl is different, sundays are nfl, it's a different brand, but the nba needs to be concerned about fan retaliation. >> do you think any games will be missed? nba and nfl? >> nfl, it looks like they're

going to get it done in time. nba, they have four months to get it done. i talked to one official, who said brace yourself, this is going to be like '98. they are four months away. there's a big divide in terms of the basketball-related income, between what the players get and what the owners want to pay them. >> i start thinking old school, the beginning days of basketball, the green bay packers, when they first started, it was all about the game, not the money. boy, the money, the greed has really gotten involved in this process. a lot of people are saying what happened to the love of the sport? why can't we go back to that time? we created a monster? >> we have, madison avenue, tv, imagine the gladiators of rome? >> that would be nascar, nfl. >> absolutely. it's not at 8:00. it's the blood sport at the coliseum. it's madison avenue, it's a

multi billion dollar enterprise. the owners are doing what others have done. it's their chance to go through and try to cut costs and see where they can make more money. >> the dodgers are in trouble too. they may be going back to brooklyn. >> we'll keep talking. stories making news later today. 11:30 eastern, dominique strauss-kahn back in a new york courtroom. 1:30 eastern, the man arrested by the fbi for flying on a fraudulent boarding pass. and president obama heading for camp david for the 4th of july weekend. t minus seven days and counting to the end of an era as nasa gets ready to pull the plug on a program, take a hard look after the break. my doctor told me calcium

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glimpse of strauss-kahn, former -- there he is, you can see the former imf chief and his wife by his side heading into the courtroom. his court hearing expected to take place within the next hour. the sexual assault case against the former imf chief, dominique strauss-kahn could be in jeopardy. we reported sources familiar with the case were telling us that prosecutors have found major credibility problems with the hotel maid who is accusing him of sexual assault.

we're following the story and hearing that should be taking place within the next hour as you saw strauss-kahn arriving to the courthouse. seven days away from the last scheduled launch of a nasa space shuttle "atlantis" set to lift off next sunday before noon eastern. after 135 missions, questions around -- questions abound as to why the u.s. is pulling the plug and if the program is deemed a success or failure. our john zorelli takes a look at this. >> reporter: from the beginning, it was a marvelous machine, releasing from its cargo bay, deep space probes like ulysses that went to jupiter. astronauts ventured out untethered. >> estimated to take ten minutes. >> reporter: to capture and retrieve failed satellites dead in space, dangerous feats unheard of before shuttle. >> i think we got a satellite.

>> reporter: the great observatory hubble dazzles with breathtaking images of the universe and its ability to see galaxies born nearly at the dawn of time. >> the shuttle has arrived on board "atlantis" with the arm. >> reporter: every major building block of the football field long space station was carried up and assembled from shuttle. before becoming nasa's head man, charlie boldin was an astronaut. he flew four shuttle flights including the hubble launch. >> i defy anybody, i will argue with my apollo comrades, the accomplishments, the achievements, the record of performance, the spinoffs, the capabilities that have been developed, what we did in shuttle over 30 years dwarf what was done in the apollo era. >> we can build spacecraft. we can build hardware, we can build boosters, but there's no

goal, no mission. we are wandering in a desert in space today period. ♪ >> reporter: so why now? why call it quits now? from the time of its inception 40 years ago, until the shuttles are retired, the program will have cost the american taxpayers just shy of $115 billion. that's less than $4 billion a year. a drop, if that, in the federal budget. still, the problem is money. >> there's just not enough money in nasa to continue the existing programs and start a new program at the same time. >> was it time? >> yes, it was time. it has been time for some time to phase out of shuttle and go back to exploration. ♪ >> reporter: whether you hated it or hailed it, whether you

felt it a waste or worth it, the shuttle was an iconic flying machine that symbolized america's inspiration and ingenuity. >> roger all. >> in advance of next week's final shuttle launch, cnn presents "beyond "atlantis."" at 8:00 p.m. eastern. cnn is your place to watch the final shuttle launch. it's set for a week from today. our coverage begins 10:00 a.m. eastern time. first pro football, now pro basketball. the owners locked out its players. we will talk with kareem abdul j jabar about the lockout. next hour, we're dealing with financial infidelity. a michigan congressman about to join the white house race.

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new candidate to tell you about who is joining the white house race. jim acosta who is here with someone who is not necessarily a household name. >> that mcconor is tuning up for a presidential run. he's been in office for five

terms. he has decided he is going to run for president. a spokesman for his office confirmed that to cnn earlier this morning. he's expected to make this announcement tomorrow afternoon at a 4th of july festival in his home district. for that festival, he is expected to show off his musical talents. thad also plays the guitar. he's a big led zeppelin and classic rock fan. when he was asked about the near government shutdown that happened earlier this spring, he blamed it on a communication breakdown. mccotter is going to be a serious candidate. he's going to be competing in eye wach iowa. we'll be watching thad mccotter closely. also wanted to point out, there are fundraising totals that have come in on the gop side and mitt